A Place Beyond The Map [Kindle Edition]

Samuel Thews (Author)

Book Description

Once in a very long while, betwixt and between the humdrum of everydayness, something magical happens: life gives us a fairy tale. Sometimes it begins with a door; sometimes by following a peculiar cottontail down his hole. For Phinnegan Qwyk, it begins with a chilly November night, two wet footprints and Periwinkle Lark.

A flamboyant and cunning Faë with a penchant for mischief, Periwinkle is also a bit of a thief. When he snatches Phinnegan away to a Place-Beyond-the-Map, Phinnegan discovers that fairy tales aren’t all they’re cracked up to be: at least, not when you are being attacked by the wild wolves of the Faolchú, being hunted by a gholem that lurks unseen in the shadows, or bargaining for your very life with a troll—even if she is beautiful.

When all seems lost, Phinnegan finds hope in the form of a shy pixie and a jolly, if rather messy, old man. His journey is not a mistake.

Evocative, purposeful and winsome, A Place Beyond the Map is what children’s dreams are made of. A simplistic tale spun within the world of fairy tales and myth, it is a story for children, and for those of us that are finally old enough to read fairy tales again.

Product Details

• File Size: 499 KB
• Print Length: 339 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1466467312
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005C2CMAW
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,009 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Somewhere, over the rainbow... July 23, 2011

By Amanda Richards HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true"

This book introduces young Phinnegan Qwyk, a self-professed bookworm who lives in Ireland with his family. Until that is, the day when an intruder enters his house in the dead of night and makes off with his father's best pipe and tobacco.

No ordinary intruder, this one turns out to be one of the Fae, and suddenly Phinnegan finds himself in the middle of one of the fairy tales he loves to read.

However, it turns out that fairy tales aren't that much fun when you find yourself being attacked by fierce creatures called Faolchú, getting stunned by poison gas or bargaining for your life with a troll. On top of all of this, there's a gholem on the loose, and Phinnegan needs some instant recall of his beloved fairy tales if he ever wants to see home again.

Fast paced and easy to read, my one little quibble is that there are so many characters that it's sometimes hard to keep track of them all. This seems to be the first book of a series, so here's hoping that the excitement continues in book two. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

Amanda Richards, July 23, 2011

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Place Beyond the Stars February 27, 2012

By Liz

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read this book along with a 5th grader in my class. I enjoyed Phinnegan as a character; he was independent and curious, and he reminded me a little of Nobody Owens from the Graveyard Book, which was the last story read by this student. The author also did a wonderful job of introducing darker themes in a way that wasn't frightening or intimidating. I felt that the ending was a bit obvious in its setup of a second book, but that didn't trouble the students reading the story. Here is one of their reviews:

The last book I read was The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I picked this book because I like fairy tales and stories about Ireland.
I liked A Place Beyond the Map. It was a fun story. It didn't have a love story, and I thought that was good. I would read another book by this author.
One thing I didn't like about this book was how many characters there were. I also wish there was a guide to how to say some of the names, because when I had to talk about the book to my class I didn't know how to say some of them. I gave this book four stars.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Imagination + folklore + talent=enchantment August 10, 2011

By Eva R. Duggins

Format:Kindle Edition

In his very first novel, author Samuel Thews has produced a work rich in imagination, imagery, and action. He limns the timeless theme of a child who, all unwillingly, becomes a hero after a quest that separates him from home and family and calls forth from him hitherto unglimpsed strengths and talents. Phinnegan Qwyk has a destiny to fulfill, and this is his story.

Thews weaves his story using the threads of Irish folklore, legends, and language. Just as Rick Riordan uses Greek mythology in his Percy Jackson series, Susan Cooper uses Arthurian legends in her The Dark Is Rising series, and P. B. Kerr uses Djinn (genie) traditions in his Children of the Lamp series, Thews appropriates pixies, trolls, will-o-the-wisps, giants, faolchu (wolves), and, most of all, the Fae (fairies) to populate and propel his world. Instead of having to invent a language as did Tolkien, he already has Gaelic, which he uses judiciously and effectively. He has the requisite evil lord in the form of Vermillion Wren. His inspiration to use bird names as the Fae clans and the powerful sub-plot about the tensions around the Aged versus the Young add color and depth to the tale.

Three scenes in particular I found riveting. The first was the trial of Periwinkle Lark, the mischief-maker who brings Phinnegan to the land of the Fae. In the forbidding castle of Feradoon, under the vengeful eye of Judge Jay, Thews pens a trial that would be dear to any lawyer's heart for its twists and turns and use of evidence. The next delight is the riddle game with the troll under the bridge. So many echoes here of fairy tales and riddle games - I immediately thought of Gollum and Bilbo in Tolkien's The Hobbit - and yet Thews makes the tradition his own with his brilliant rendition. Finally, my favorite scene in the whole book takes place at Castle Heronhawk when Phinnegan encounters Howard, who turns out to be the giant of Jack and the Beanstalk fame. Thews has turned what could have been a trite and merely expedient interaction into a hauntingly poignant moment of loneliness, fear, and moral ambiguity.

I am eager to see what Phinnegan does with his newfound knowledge and transformed sense of self and so highly anticipate the sequel. I have no doubt that Thews will not disappoint.

More About the Author

When not working at his day job, Thews divides his time between his family, books and the outdoors. He is a lover of stories, gardening, fine pipe tobaccos and making stuffed animals talk. A native of North Carolina, he lives in a small neighborhood nestled in the woods of Orange County with his wife, daughter and their four cats. Yes, that's right, FOUR.